The shadow of reality.

The last thing that Maya remembered, was a blow on the head as she tripped on someone’s foot, when she was trying to board the train to the town that she hailed from. The train was over-crowded, despite of it being a Wednesday, with neither a festival nor the marriage season round the corner. It felt like an exodus of anxious people wanting to get away from the maddening hustle bustle of the city at the first available opportunity…
Maya was slipping into the gap between the station and the railway track. She panicked at first. After a few deep breaths, she decided to fall down and stay down till the train passed and then get up to try her luck once again, as she had read in her favourite adventure books. It was at this moment – when she was dropping down that someone gave a hand. Maya clutched at it for dear life and pulled herself up, gathered her things and before she could look up to thank the good Samaritan, she felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace, leaving her literally gasping for breath and the world going dark before her eyes. Maya tried to tear away from this life-exterminating crush; was highly unsuccessful and went limp as she fell into a swoon.
Maya was a practical woman. A graduate, average build, pleasing personality, which helped her in her profession as a nanny. She was shy of 30. She was residing with her employers. It was a huge family – the elderly parents, two brothers, their spouse and 5 children – triplets of the elder brother and a pair of twins of the younger one. Maya was just 15 when she was introduced to this family. She was welcomed very warmly and treated with much kindness and respect. In fact, it was at the behest of the employers that she was able to study as she served the family with much dedication and loyalty. She was so engrossed in her work that she neither had time to indulge nor spare for any hobby. The only thing that she did in her spare time (which was a rare commodity) was reading or knitting.


Maya found herself in a cave. She was all by herself. She first moved her feet, her hips, her waist. She bent down to touch her toes, just to ensure that she had her limbs intact from that grave accident. As she straightened herself up from that position, she perceived a little beam of light a few millimetres away from the spot where she stood. Curiosity wove a magical charm on this woman and in a jiffy, she was on all fours – following the beam of light – as stealthily as a cat. She saw a chasm and gasped. She soon caught her breath so as to not attract any attention. She was up and racking her brains… thinking… contemplating… reflecting… She now wished that she had carried her knitting needles and yarn, because here, at this very instance she felt that she could be of help.
The words formed in her head that described the sight and her feeling:

In an unknown world, alone, I stand;
Am I in space or on land above land?
For… I see shivering beings down there:
Big ones and small ones – ALL naked and bare…
Whatever are these things? Where ever am I?
What…

Her thoughts were cut midway as she saw a being approaching her. The being was like the ones she saw through the chasm. Almost the same height as her, completely black. It was like as if by magic a shadow had come to life! Though not menacing, there was something about the being that made her a bit worried, surprised and scared – all at once. This was the first time in her life that she was in such a situation. As a child, she would always be walking within the inner square created by the flock of her elders, eyes down, following the footsteps of the elders in front. As she grew up, she was sent to work. She was sheltered within the four walls of the house that she was living in with her employers. All that she needed was given to her. She never had to step out of the gate, as she was given the permission to use the car – if ever she was required to go to the bank, the post office, the doctor (for the little ones and seldom for her, as she took good care of herself.) or an outing with the family. She didn’t know if she had to scream (of what use would it be anyway?), to run, walk away (where?)… She decided to stay put and face whatever came her way.
The being approached her and looked deep in her eyes. This was their conversation:
Being: Greetings, my Friend. Do not worry. I will not harm you. I am here to help you and seek your help too.
Maya: Greetings to you too, my Friend. How will you help me and how may I be of help to you?
Being: You need help to see yourself. Seek your strength and power and use it to benefit yourself and those around you. And… you can help by teaching us something that we might need.
Maya: I have been a person who serves. What could I possibly teach you? And how?
Being: Change is a magic word. Just touch your heart and eyes and say, “Change!” Try it, my friend.
Maya (touching her heart and eyes): Change!
A tingling sensation rises from her toes and goes up to the top of her head. She sees a lot of baby rainbows dancing around her. And then,
Maya: “Hooba looba gittish kiyaur.” (You, your family and all consider me your friend.)
Being : “Heyora”. (I do it with my heart, mind and soul.)
Maya: “Minnititiluva namakiba jiggus”. (I learn with you and you with me.)
Being: “Po he kiyaur”. (Yes, my friend)
Maya: “Zikkitititiva bamenasi loo”. (Let us work together and be happy. )
All the beings who have now formed a circle around Maya and the being: ”Po looziva heyora loo kiyaur”. (Yes, we will do it with our heart, mind and soul, our friend.)
They all join hands and dance in full merriment and glee and have conversations that are very deep and meaningful. Despite all the exertion and activity, Maya was unusually fresh and not sleepy. It was like as if she was compensating for all the time she had lost… She decided to take a walk – basically to check if this, indeed, was for real and also to explore the place that she was currently in at the moment.

Maya felt very much at home here, in this land, with these people. At times it felt like a dream, because there were many instances which felt like magic. Especially the conversations. The beings and Maya communicated effortlessly. Sometimes in silence, sometimes in their language. The conversations were very simple, yet they were steeped in reality. At times, Maya would smile to herself thinking, “I am in this world, which I guess is in the shadow of reality”. And then, wiping the smile off her face, would think about the beings, who were like shadows. So light. So nimble. So agile. In this world of light and shadows, time had no place. No day, no night. No months, seasons… She had almost forgotten the world that she came from, till one day a little being came to her with a photo. The little being was curious to know what it was, as they did not have such things here. As she took the photo in her hands to explain, her eyes filled up and she suddenly felt an emptiness… a vacuum… a longing. She hurriedly explained to the little being and decided to go to the leader of the clan for help. Bowing down to the little being, as per the expected mannerism before taking leave, she turned round and almost bumped into the leader himself, who was standing there, silently listening to the conversation. He held her tight. So tight that she felt that her life breath was escaping from her body. She could hear a certain rhythm that grew louder and louder and……. She found herself on the railway platform with three bags on her and one fat lady, trying to get up. Maya realized where she was. She slowly tapped the lady, asking her to get off her. The lady sheepishly got up and helped Maya sit up, after taking off the bags. A man came running towards them.
Man, huffing and puffing, catching his breath: Maya! Finally I got you. Come. I have our tickets. The train will be departing from the next platform in an hour.
Maya: Who are you? How do you know my name?
Man: You will come to know as we travel together. Trust me. Your employer has told me about you. Come. Let’s go. (Looking at her hesitation) Wait. (Calling someone, looking at her.) Can I please wipe off the grime and dust from your hands and face? (talking on the phone) Yes Sir, I got her. She is fine. Please talk to her. (Passing the phone to her) take. It is your employer. Trust me. Talk to him.
Maya (speaking into the phone) : The world is a lonely place.
Maya’s employer: However, there’s happiness seeing a familiar face.
Maya, her employer and the man: Love is the best blessing and Grace.
That helps all in life’s maze …

It’s been almost 5 years that Maya and Satya got married. Satya was Maya’s employer’s friend’s valet. It was he who met Maya at the platform. He knew the words of the poem that was usually spoken by Maya and her employer because of the number of times he had heard them. Hearing those words, Maya chose to go with Satya. Maya is no longer associated with her employer, since now she is a successful businesswoman. Thanks to her knitting skills, she was able to create beautiful accessories, which were eagerly purchased by her clients who spread the word. She has not forgotten her encounter with the beings and the wisdom she gained from there, because in the evenings or late night when she is alone, she remembers the beings every time she sees a shadow.

One day, as she was thinking about that experience, she was trying to put two and two together to fit in the missing puzzle pieces … And as ever… she was not able to figure out what exactly happened that day, where she went, who those mysterious beings were, and the strangest thing of all: how did she know their language? Was it indeed a dream? Or was it a reality created by illusion?
Now that she had started writing poetry, she penned down these lines:

Is reality a dream or is a dream the reality?
Does reality always stick to the truth?
Or does it quote or coat the untruth?
This, is revealed by the shadow of reality…

If reality were human, how would it be?
Grotesque, expressionless, or.. totally funny?
No. Reality cannot, can never be funny,
As, it is as dark, as the shadow of reality.

Reality is painful. Reality is dense.
Reality is heavy… very, very intense.
Reality unravels some mysteries,
And the rest is hidden in the shadow of reality…